Kessel smiles, a most disturbing picture. He pulls out the ace of diamonds, and examines it. He then proceeds to place it back into his sleeve.

"Of course, of course. The Lortmils - and her friends - agree with you. We should've said something earlier. But about that bit with the Wanderer and the Shade-people being the same... I don't know, sounds a little iffy to me. The first one was a little more... subtle than the second, if you get my meaning.

"We are willing to accept any and all offers of assistance from those we deem are of true intent. And such. The Lortmils and her friends accept your 'willing to assist'."

---

"Very well, then, Kas. The Lortmils and I thank you for your generosity in this matter, considering that it will take longer to get around the Lortmils. We will remember this in the future."

Kessel examines the ace of hearts, sticking out a notch from his left sleeve, as though it wished to leave his robe. He looks at it, considers it and the wall, and puts it deeper into his robe.

While I play D&D, it is not my game of choice, regardless of edition.
"You're insane AND Jurassic, GW." - garyh
"The reverse side also has a reverse side." - Japanese proverb
-----Steamworks: A guide for introducing technology to a fantasy setting. (d20)Journey: The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath your feet... (Work in progress)

Kessel's face turns dead serious. He stands up in his chair, and he seems to be about as tall as a human sitting down.

"Little?"

"You would dare to call me little?"

"Turrosh Mak, the Lortmils have nothing to hide. We are not building a 'secret army', nor are we working on some 'powerful weapon' that will decimate you and all your puny little friends. No - we have nothing to hide. Perhaps it is you who has something to hide? Guilty conscience eating at you, perhaps?"

Kessel sits down in the chair.

"We have nothing to hide from you, Turrosh Mak. Why don't you send an ambassador over here to look for yourself, rather than hide behind false accusations?"

OOC:

BTW, in case anyone wanted to know - if you have ever seen Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail, Kessel has an accent that lies somewhere between the roughness of Tim the Enchanter, and the French guy.

While I play D&D, it is not my game of choice, regardless of edition.
"You're insane AND Jurassic, GW." - garyh
"The reverse side also has a reverse side." - Japanese proverb
-----Steamworks: A guide for introducing technology to a fantasy setting. (d20)Journey: The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath your feet... (Work in progress)

Creamsteak: to- Sanctus Punitor: Hah, you believe yourself the equal to Kas the Terrible? Your courage humors me elf. If you wish to die so quickly, i'd be happy to oblidge you. Just come, alone. You have my promise you won't be hampered or injured in any way until the duel between us.

Kessel gets up, walks to the door, hops up on a step, and opens it. He hops down, and walks out to meet the ambassador that Turrosh Mak sent.

---

Kessel gives him the "grand tour", showing the ambassador the various factories and such, as well as our careful cleaning of our natural resources. We show him our warehouses, filled with simple mechanical gadgetry. We show him some of our tunnel network, and show him maps of the rest - proving that we could not be hiding an army down there. I answer all his questions to the best of my ability. We show him our budgets for government spending, which show that we are not putting down the investments needed to begin a fullscale invasion of any nearby countries.

---

"Satisfied, Jaran Krimeeah, ambassador of Turrosh Mak and the Pomarj?"

While I play D&D, it is not my game of choice, regardless of edition.
"You're insane AND Jurassic, GW." - garyh
"The reverse side also has a reverse side." - Japanese proverb
-----Steamworks: A guide for introducing technology to a fantasy setting. (d20)Journey: The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath your feet... (Work in progress)

Rary's Take

“…Ready as they will be…” grumbled Rary upon hearing the words of Iuz, “easy for him to say….” Rary began to pace. Rary hated to pace, but he always paced when he was uneasy. He for seen these events, but had hoped that he would have more time. Now, things would have to be rushed, and Rary hated to rush things.

“What is, is,” Rary said to himself, “No time for second thoughts now. Things must be put into motion.” Rary then walked over to a set of magic mirrors, it was with the help of these devises that hope to oversee his responsibilities (as well as keep an eye on his less than reliable ally, Iuz).

“Robilar, are you there?”

The image of a rather handsome man clad in full plate and riding upon what appeared to be a mechanical horse appeared in the mirror.”

“The time has come, my friend.”

“I wish we had more time to prepare…”

“As do I, but unfortunately the time is at hand. How go your preparations?”

“The Beings of The Cairn are with us: Zagyg’s hordes, the Rhennee, the Derro, and other beings. I managed to conclude the negotiations last night. There are a few dissenters amongst the goody-goods, but I suspect they won’t cause us much trouble. I think that they would rather be aligned with someone who is at least from this plane of existence.”

“I assumed as much,” responded Rary, “had I known Greyhawk would fall so easily, I would have moved on it long ago. Are your defenses set?”

“Being mobilized even as we speak.”

“The Shadows may yet prove to useful allies, but their desires have not yet been made clear. They would very much like to annex our newly acquired lands so be on guard! Of course, you can count on Ket, Iuz, and myself to support you anyway we can.”

“Understood. How are the preparations there?”

“The various nomad tribes, along with the centaurs, surprisingly, have elected to side with us, at least for now. The Sending had a hand in that. The portals to the Grey Wastes will be open soon and the Yugoloths we joining us soon.”

“And Iuz?”

“His demons will be at our disposal as well.”

“And Ket?”

“I spoke to them earlier. They are preparing their forces, along with the Humanoids of the Yatils.” Rary paused a moment, it suddenly felt as if the years were catching up with him, “We have done what we could in the time we were given. Now we must wait and watch for The Moment.”

“That’s what I always liked about you Rary. You have such a gift for the obvious.”

I, Kas, send a courier to Iuz with this message: "Greeting old one. Tales of your power and might have come to my knowledge. It seems that we stand in a position for mutual benefit from an alliance. What say ye, great master?"

A message to be delivered to the Lortmil Mnts by one of our ambassador’s who just happens to be a gnome.

To Gnomeworks,

The Kingdom of Ulek extends the hand of alliance to our neighbors in the Lortmil Mnts. I believe much can be gained from a defense pact of two peoples tied so close together, with many of the same cultures.

Sincerely,
Olinstadd Corond, chairman of The Free Council of the Kingdom of Ulek

Kessel looks over the letter, and swipes yet another peace of parchment from his desk and begins to write.

Indeed, Olinstadd Corond, chairman of The Free Council of the Kingdom of Ulek. The Lortmils would appreciate another ally, especially on our south-western flank. We accept your invitation to an alliance.

Kessel has it sent towards Olinstadd. He then proceeds to whip out the ace of hearts towards the wall. It sticks lightly into the wood, and does not fall from where it hits.

"Hehe... three more to go. I wonder if I will be able to pull these next three off as well as I have the last two?" He muses to himself, and resumes looking out his window from within the depths of his black leather chair in the dark hall.

While I play D&D, it is not my game of choice, regardless of edition.
"You're insane AND Jurassic, GW." - garyh
"The reverse side also has a reverse side." - Japanese proverb
-----Steamworks: A guide for introducing technology to a fantasy setting. (d20)Journey: The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath your feet... (Work in progress)